The Miami Marlins not only suffered the most extreme and devastating loss during September of last season, but in doing saw lost the complete heart and soul of their team. Knowing that they would never get their star player Jose Fernandez back, the Marlins provided the most inspiring, heartwarming and tear jerking moment of the 2016 season. This moment would top even that of the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series for the first time in 108 years. The unity the Marlins showed by honoring the great Fernandez exemplified what makes baseball the greatest team sports in the world. From all the Marlins players wearing Fernandez' jersey, to the retirement of his number 16, to Dee Gordon wearing Fernandez' helmet and taking a pitch in the right handed batter's box, culminating with the furthest ball Gordon ever hit, a baseball fan should turn their card in if they were not impacted by the events of that game. However, baseball has proven to still go on. In spite of Fernandez' death, the Marlins still have to play the 2017 baseball season. And in spite of the Marlins being a sentimental favorite, the fact is they are not the same team without Fernandez being part of it. The Marlins had to address some needs in their pitching staff and did so in a lackluster fashion. I give them credit for pursuing Kenley Jansen like they did, but overall, they failed to land the type of pitcher who can lead the staff. I like the trade they made for Dan Straily, who is coming off a break out season with the Cincinnati Reds (14 wins, 8 losses, 3.76 earned run average, 162 strikeouts in just over 191 innings pitched), though there has to be some concern over whether the right handed pitcher can repeat his performance of a year ago. The Marlins signed veteran starter Edinson Volquez from the Royals, who won ten games and made 34 starts last season, but pitched to a 5.37 earned run average. The Marlins added relievers Brad Ziegler and Junichi Tazawa from the Red Sox. Ziegler has pitched around 2.00 ERA ball over the past two seasons and is a ground ball inducing machine.The starting rotation has a series of questions starting with Straily and Volquez. Left hand pitcher Wei-Yin Chen signed a big free agent deal with the Marlins last off season and was very disappointing in 2016, pitching to career high 4.96 ERA, almost a run and a quarter over his career ERA in Baltimore. Left hander Adam Conley has the most promise among their starters, as he is looking to build on his first full big league season. Right hander Tom Koehler (9-13, 4.33, 33 starts, just over 176 IP) can be expected to repeat his 2016 numbers. Left hander Justin Nicolino, right hander Jose Urena and free agent signing Jeff Locke will be the first up if the Marlins need additional starters. Jansen would have anchored a super bullpen, something similar to that of the 2015 Kansas City Royals. AJ Ramos serves the role of the closer, coming off a 40 save season and will be expected to get the same support from righties David Phelps (114 Ks in just under 87 innings) and Kyle Barrachough (113 Ks in less than 87 IP). Ziegler and Tazawa give the Marlins and unprecedented five man deep bullpen that can reasonably cover the last three innings of a baseball game every night. The problems that the Marlins will likely have with their starting pitchers this season can be slightly circumvented if their bullpen is as deep as advertised. Urena is another interesting potential bullpen piece, a hard thrower who will likely see a similar spike in his strikeout to innings pitched ratio if employed as a full time reliever. In an ideal scenario, the Marlins could use Urena as their sixth inning reliever, Tazawa and Barraclough in the seventh inning, Phelps and Ziegler in the eighth and Ramos in the ninth. Left hander Hunter Cervenka is the best option among left hand relievers, with righties Brian Ellington, Dustin McGowan and Nick Wittgren all competing for the last spot or two.The Marlins have a formidable offense, one that is as good as any in the division. Outfielders Christian Yelich (.298 BA, .376 on base percentage, .483 slugging percentage) and All Star Marcel Ozuna (.266, 23, 76) have switched positions with Yelich playing center field and Ozuna moving to left, a move that was implemented by manager Don Mattingly last season. Gordon is coming off a down season, one in which was interrupted by an 80 game suspension for the use of performance enhancing drugs. Hope is that Gordon can return to his 2016 form, a season that saw the second baseman lead the National League in batting average, hits and stolen bases. The key to the Marlins lineup will be right fielder Giancarlo Stanton, who saw his batting average and OPS go down last year, while his strikeout percentage went up. Of course, Stanton has also had to deal with a series of injuries over the past five seasons, though some of them have been of the freakish nature. He has played in more than 123 games just once over that time and it is imperative that he remains on the field if the Marlins want to max out their talent and compete in a stronger NL East. Justin Bohr seems on his way to have a breakout season but his 2016 season was hindered by injury. Third baseman Martin Prado (.305, 8, 75, 173 hits) is the heart and sole of the Marlins clubhouse, with shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria coming off a year in which he hit just .236. Catcher JT Realmuto hit over .300 last year and he will be backed up by veteran AJ Ellis behind the plate, who was signed as a free agent. The Marlins lineup I would go with is Gordon 2B, Prado 3B, Yelich CF, Stanton RF, Ozuna LF, Bohr 1B, Realmuto C, Hechavarria SS. Ichiro Suzuki is back for another season, looking to add to his 3030 career hits. Derek Dietrich and Miguel Rojas will likely round out the Marlins bench. I think the Marlins are a very good candidate to carry just four bench players and man an eight man bullpen. Especially if they employ their pen the way I suggest, simply asking their undermanned starting pitchers to get them through the first five innings. Top overall prospects Braxton Garrett and Tyler Kolek are a long way from making it to the major leagues. Right handed pitcher Jake Esch has already made his MLB debut and left hander Jarlin Garcia could be ready to help this season. Tomas Telis could work into a platoon at first base with Bohr is he earns it. Outfielder Destin Hood has a good future, but it will be tough to crack the Marlins outfield anytime soon. The potential exists for the Marlins to have a breakout season. It will have to come out of their offense and bullpen. Perhaps the Marlins will be the leaders of the revolution to make baseball a five inning game. They do possess the depth to put the game more in their favor with their group of relievers. The Marlins over/ under number is 77.5 this year and I do think they have the potential to do much better than that. However, I predict the Marlins will finish at 78-84, fourth place in the National League East division.

Expectations is a word thrown out to describe a level of talent on a baseball field. This talent can be assembled through a draft and farm system or from completely outside the organization. Many teams develop a player or two and attempt to bring other good players in to complement them. Expectations in baseball refer to a particular team's talent on paper. It is almost like the paper number is supposed to be an actual number of wins. Expectations never account for chemistry and other intangibles and in many cases, the numbers get distorted. While the players assembled may end up doing their part, the simplest key to winning a baseball game is to score one more run than the team you are playing. Do that more often than the opposition scores one more run than you and you should finish the season with a winning record. The Miami Marlins made some aggressive moves after the 2014 season. The trade for Dee Gordon gave them a new identity. While expectations for the 2015 season were a little bit tamed, word was the Marlins had improved themselves enough to contend. The team also had signed first baseman Michael Morse, traded for pitcher Dan Haren and signed free agent right handed pitcher Mat Latos. What anybody that follows baseball was not able to put a quantity on was the mental state of the Marlins ownership and front office, which came to a head last season. The Marlins made the decision to fire manager Mike Redmond and inexplicably named general manager Dan Jennings as field manager. While Jennings may not have been against the decision, it seemed like the call was made by ownership, mainly principal owner Jeffrey Loria. Jennings had no prior managerial experience, but apparently had to do it if he wanted to keep his job. Assistant general manager Mike Hill was the interim GM, taking over for Jennings. It worked out about as well as could be expected, though the Marlins did go 16-10 in the month of September. The environment created in the Marlins clubhouse was nothing short of awkward. If a scapegoat should be given for the 2015 Marlins season (20 games under .500), it should be owner Loria, Brought into the fire this season is former Dodgers manager Don Mattingly, whom Loria was a fan of during his time as the New York Yankees first baseman. The Marlins are going to live or die over the contribution of star outfielder Giancarlo Stanton (.265 batting average, 27 home runs, 67 runs batted in, .952 on base plus slugging) and pitcher Jose Fernandez (6 wins, 1 loss, 2.92 earned run average, 79 strikeouts, just under 65 innings pitched). Stanton played essentially the first 74 games to start the season, then missed the remainder of it. Fernandez made 11 starts in the second half of the season as he returned from Tommy John surgery. However, Fernandez was shut down in September. The Marlins need a healthy Stanton and Fernandez to have a shot at finishing .500, let alone making it to the postseason. The signing of free agent left hand pitcher Wei-Yin Chen (11-8, 3.34, 153 Ks, just over 191 IP) was one of the best team signings of the entire off season. Chen signed a deal for 5 years and $70 million with an opt out clause after two seasons. So, technically the deal was for 2 years and $20.2 million, which is below market value for the starting pitcher. The Marlins also added starting pitcher Edwin Jackson (4-3, 3.07, 47 games - all in relief), who was released from his contract with the Chicago Cubs last season. While Jackson will make just over $500,000 from the Marlins this season, he will get paid the balance of his $13 million he and the Cubs agreed to just prior to the 2013 season. Also in that position is veteran infielder Chris Johnson (.255, 3, 18, .644), who is owed $17.5 million from 2016-2018 from the Cleveland Indians (through Atlanta Braves). Johnson makes a similar $500,000+ from Miami with the Indians on the hook for slightly less than $7 million. And outfielder Ichiro Suzuki (.229, 1, 21, .561 in 153 games) is back just 65 hits away from getting to 3000. The Marlins have a solid offense that is predicated on Stanton being the number three or four hitter. Center fielder Marcell Ozuna (.259, 10, 44, .691) had a terrible season in 2015 on a number of different levels. The Marlins kept him in the minors, likely more than he deserved to be and there was thought he would be traded before the start of this baseball season. Left fielder Christian Yelich (.300, 7, 44, .782), himself missing over 30 games due to injury in 2015, gives the Marlins one of the most intriguing young outfields in the game, assuming Ozuna bounces back and Stanton and Yelich can remain healthy for the full season. First baseman Justin Bohr (.262, 23, 73, .800) had a breakout year and instantly becomes trusted as a left handed power threat. Third baseman Martin Prado (.288, 9, 63, .732) and shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria (.281, 5, 48, .689) also battled some injury problems last season that cost them significant time. Rookie catcher JT Realmuto (.259, 10, 47, .696) had a decent first season and will handle the catching duties again this season. Outside of Stanton, their best offensive player is clearly Gordon (.333, 4, 46, .776, 58 stolen bases). Gordon backed up a solid 2014 where he hit .289, stole 60 bases, had 174 hits and 12 triples with an even better season in Miami where he had over 200 hits. He is an igniter at the top of the order and has really come into his own. Gordon leads a Marlins lineup that goes like this: ... Yelich LF, Stanton RF, Bohr 1B, Ozuna CF, Prado 3B, Hechavarria SS, Realmuto C. Johnson and Suzuki lead a veteran bench that also includes backup catcher Jeff Mathis and Derek Dietrich (.256, 10, 24 in 90 games). Middle infielder Miguel Rojas (.282, 1, 17, 62 games) rounds out the prospective Marlins bench. Fernandez and Chen form a very solid one- two punch at the top of the Miami rotation. After that, as many as six pitchers could fill out the remaining three starting spots. Right handers Tom Koehler (11-14, 4.08, 31 starts, just over 181 IP) and Jarred Cosart (2-5, 4.52, 13 starts, just under 70 IP) have the inside track but others are in the mix including free agent signing Jackson, who is trying once again to become a full time starting pitcher. David Phelps (4-8, 4.50, 19 starts, 112 innings) and left hander Justin Nicolino (5-4, 4.01, 12 starts, 74 IP) can probably both start and relieve if necessary. Top pitching prospect lefty Adam Conley (4-1, 3.76, 11 starts, 67 IP) will likely take over a full time spot in the rotation at some point this season. With some uncertainty about Fernandez and Cosart himself just returning from an injury plagued 2015 season, the Marlins will likely need all the starting pitching they can find, including projected reliever Brad Hand and 24 year old righty Jose Urena.The Marlins bullpen took a major hit when right hander Carter Capps (1-0, 1.16, 58 Ks, 31 IP) went down for the season due to Tommy John. Closer AJ Ramos (2-4, 2.30, 32 saves, 87 Ks, just under 71 IP) returns to be the closer with Bryan Morris (5-4, 3.14, 67 games, 63 IP) likely serving as the righty set up man. Right handers Kyle Barraclough (2-1, 2.59, 30 Ks just over 24 IP) and Brian Ellington (2-1, 2.88, 23 games, 25 IP) both excelled when given an opportunity at the end of last season and will be given the chance to remain factors late in games. Lefty Mike Dunn (along with Stanton and Hand) is part of the only Marlins who played for the team in 2011 when they referred to themselves as "Florida." However, he has been very inconsistent, particularly in 2015 when his ERA was over 4.50. Right hander Kendry Flores is worth taking a look at this season along with the lefty Conley. The Marlins have a left hand pitcher named Brett Lilek, who has very imposing stuff but is a couple years away most recently pitching in the New York Penn League. Top prospects Tyler Kolek, a pitcher taken in the first round in 2014 and Josh Naylor, a first baseman taken in the first round last season, will need at least another two or three years in the minors before we can think about them in South Florida. The Marlins have had a difficult time trotting out the same team day in and day out. Mattingly gives the team a proven manager and the team does possess a lot of talent. I think the Marlins will be better in 2016 than they were last season. However, I think there is too much competition for them to be a legitimate postseason contender. Like a couple other teams, if the Marlins can get off to a good start, they might be in a position to be aggressive around the trading deadline. I think Loria is hoping that is the case and because of that, he will likely open the wallet to back a contender. The Marlins won 71 games last season and Las Vegas puts their over/ under at 80.5. I go with the over, just slightly, and have the Marlins at 82-80, third place in the National League East division.

When the talk started about the 2014 Marlins good start, few thought it was something that could be sustained. As April turned into May, we started to look at the younger players, mainly Jose Fernandez and Giancarlo Stanton, and realize that maybe this team was starting to build itself a little earlier than was expected. The Marlins managed to remain above .500 through the month of June and the fact that they fell below it coincided with the end of Fernandez' season which was May 9th. For the season, the Marlins finished at 77-85, 4th place in the NL East. Baseball Prospectus thought the Marlins would finish in last place in the NL East so their season had to be a fluke, right? The development of the younger players, led by Stanton (.288, 37, 105) and fellow OFs Christian Yelich (.284, 9, 54, 21 SB, 94 RS) and Marcel Ozuna (.269, 23, 85) and pitchers Henderson Alvarez (12-7, 2.65, 30 starts) and Jared Cosart (13-11, 3.69, 30 starts- 4-4, 2.39, 10 starts with Marlins) gave the Marlins FO the feeling that future is coming a little quicker than they thought. It seems like the other day the Marlins were ripping down their entire roster with one of their patented "fire sales." Though the team is not looking to win the World Series in 2015, their off season showed that they have an interest on being competitive now as opposed to waiting another couple years. The Marlins acquired RHP Mat Latos (5-5, 3.25, 15 starts) from the Reds in a deal for younger RHP Anthony DeSclafani (2-2, 6.27, 13 games, 5 starts). At the Baseball Winter Meetings in San Diego, the Marlins were one of the teams that stole the show. They acquired infielder Martin Prado (.282, 12, 58 for D'Backs and Yankees) and RHP David Phelps (5-5, 4.38, 32 games, 17 starts) from the Yankees in exchange for 1B Garrett Jones (.246, 15, 53) and RHP Nathan Eovaldi (6-14, 4.37, 33 starts). After that, they made a deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers to get 2B Dee Gordon (.289, 2, 34 with NL leading 12 3B and 64 SB) and RHP Dan Haren (13-11, 4.02, 32 starts) in exchange for LHP Andrew Heaney and RHP Chris Hatcher (0-3, 3.38, 52 games). To make room for Prado, the Marlins dealt 3B Casey McGehee (.287, 4, 76) to the Giants then signed free agents Michael Morse (.279, 16, 61) and Ichiro Suzuki (.284, 1, 22). The Marlins also added relievers Aaron Crow (6-1, 4.12, 67 games) from the Royals and Preston Claiborne (3-0, 3.00, 18 games) from the Yankees. The Marlins have a decent starting pitching staff, even if Fernandez is not projected to be ready for the season opener. Obviously, it will be a better rotation with Fernandez, but Alvarez, Cosart, Latos, Haren and Tom Koehler (10-10, 3.81, 32 starts) leave the team in much better shape than they were in at the start of last season. Koehler had a solid season, much like former Marlins RHP Ricky Nolasco. After contemplating retirement after his trade to Miami (he wanted to stay on the West Coast), Haren looks ready to help the Marlins. Phelps and LHP Brad Hand (3-8, 4.38, 32 games, 16 starts) look to be on the outside looking in unless another injury occurs. The Marlins traded Hatcher in the Gordon trade to the Dodgers and LHP Dan Jennings (0-2, 1.34, 47 games) to the White Sox for starting pitcher Andre Rienzo (4-5, 6.82, 18 games, 11 starts). Crow and Claiborne will get an important role as will RHPs Carter Capps (3.98, 17 games, 25 Ks in just over 20 IP) and Sam Dyson (3-1, 2.14, 31 games). RHPs Bryan Morris (8-1, 1.82, 60 games for Pirates and Marlins) and AJ Ramos (7-0, 2.11, 68 games) along with LHP Mike Dunn (10-6, 3.16, 75 games) will be the main bridge to get to closer Steve Cishek (4-5, 3.17, 67 games, 84 Ks in just over 65 IP). RHPs Nick Masset and Vin Mazzaro (guest on the Passed Ball Show) should have an opportunity to prove their worth. C Jarrod Saltalamacchia (.220, 11, 44) and SS Adeiny Hechavarria (.276, 1, 34) combine for 11 syllables and 25 letters in their last names and both return to bat towards the bottom of the lineup. The Marlins lineup should look like this: Gordon 2B, Yelich LF, Prado 3B, Stanton RF, Morse 1B, Ozuna CF, Saltalamacchia C, Hechavarria SS. Ichiro, Donovan Solano (.252, 3, 28), Jeff Baker (.264, 3, 28) and backup catcher Jeff Mathis (.200, 2, 12). NRIs Don Kelly, Reid Brignac and Reed Johnson all have good chances to make the team. Jhonathan Solano (Donovan's brother) is in camp to compete for the backup catcher spot. On the farm, C JT Realmuto looks like he has a chance to crack the team this season. Not a big power hitter, but certainly has some gap to gap power. Pitchers Justin Nicolino, Trevor Williams and Adam Conley should also make their debuts in 2015 with the lefty Nicolino having the biggest upside. Keep an eye on Dominican RHP Jose Urena (13-8, 3.33) who seems to have the most electric stuff out of the pitchers in the Marlins system. The Marlins O/U was a very healthy 81 1/2. I will go with the over, with the Marlins finishing at 83-79, 3rd place in the NL East division. If Fernandez returns earlier than expected, perhaps the Marlins can compete for a Wild Card spot. Even if he doesn't, this team certainly looks improved and has the resources to improve itself if it needs to- something we haven't heard in a couple years. Given the history though, it would behoove the Marlins to get off to a good start, because with this ownership- you never know.

I bet I got your attention, especially if you are a Mets fan. The last thing the New York Mets should be considering is the trade of their biggest star. One of whom gave the Borough of Queens the most to cheer about since 1984. Matt Harvey had the biggest impact by a first (full) year Mets pitcher in a very long time. In 2013, Mets attendance was considerably higher on the days Harvey pitched- the most notably since the days of Dwight Gooden. In fact, the thoughts of the Mets becoming a legitimate playoff contender in 2015 may very well be riding on the right arm of the 25 year old. The Mets blogs and the New York newspapers will constantly remind you that the Mets have a slight to considerable surplus when it comes to starting pitchers. Harvey is expected to come back next season and be the team's number one starting pitcher. Zack Wheeler had an outstanding second half in 2014 and could very well get even better. Jacob deGrom is a favorite to win the NL Rookie of the Year in 2014. "Veterans" Jonathon Niese and Dillon Gee are formidable enough for any team to have in their rotation. And they still have Bartolo Colon under contract for 2015. And... oh yeah, Noah Syndergaard is expected to be MLB ready to start next season. Rafael Montero gives the Mets 8 legitimate starting pitchers, though it is understood that you can never have enough pitching. Expectation is that the Mets will look to trade from their depth to add themselves some offense. It is easy to ask, "Why would you want to trade Matt Harvey?" "Why would you not want him leading your pitching staff?" Unfortunately, many in the media and on twitter have a serious misconception on why players get traded. It is evident whenever a trade proposal is made. Get X player back from a team that you want in exchange for Y player on your team that you don't want. I understand it is human nature to think that way but it is also showing your lack of baseball education. The truth is, nobody wants to trade a star player, especially one in which has the ability to become the best in the game. I believe firmly that any successful organization in sports needs to look at EVERY player as trad-able. Those who are up in arms over my proposal probably think Yasiel Puig is just some nut case who will end up being banned from baseball for life for insubordination. If this is you, all I would like to do is watch a little video and see for yourself how great of an athlete he is. He is not compared to Bo Jackson because of the hype factor; he is compared to Bo Jackson because he is... the most physically gifted athlete since Bo Jackson. The man can hit for average and power, run like the wind, cover tremendous ground in the outfield and has one of the strongest throwing arms in the game. Through his first 255 MLB games, Puig has a .305 BA and .888 OPS. When he takes the field next season, he will be only 24 years old. Over the next two seasons, Puig has a chance to be the best player in all of MLB- better than Mike Trout, better than Miguel Cabrera. In my opinion, right now he is in the top five in all of MLB as far as best player in the game (I also have Clayton Kershaw and Giancarlo Stanton on my list). If there was a player I would be willing to give up anybody for, it would be for Puig. Sure, you can say Trout or Cabrera, but I am sure Cabrera's contract is something any team would not want to touch, especially the Mets. And Trout is about to start to get his own deal where he will be paid over $140 million over the next six seasons. And even if Harvey was offered in a deal for Trout, why would the Angels give up their best player for a pitcher that has not pitched an MLB game since his Tommy John Surgery? So, I guess the next question is, "What gives you the feeling that Puig would be more obtainable than the other players?" Two easy reasons. First is his contract situation. He has just finished the third season of a 7 year, $42 million contract. Over the next 4 seasons, Puig will make $6.2, $7.2, $8.2 and $9.2 million, respectively. That is $31 million over 4 seasons! Curtis Granderson got more than twice that in free agency and in my opinion, is nowhere near the player that Puig is. Puig's contract will not hamper the organization as they look to address other needs. Next is the situation in LA. We have heard nothing but talk about how the Dodgers would love to trade Carl Crawford or Andre Ethier. Over the past season, the talk has been more about trading Matt Kemp. Ideally, the Dodgers would like to know they could get something of value for Crawford or Ethier. And I am sure they would want even more back in a deal for Kemp. The conclusion is, no team seems willing to either take on Crawford or Ethier's contracts for nothing, or deal the Dodgers something worthwhile so the Dodgers can pay a considerable amount of the remaining dollars of the deal. With top OF prospect Joc Peterson in tow, it is becoming more probable that the Dodgers will deal Kemp this off season. Andrew Friedman is over from Tampa Bay to be the President of Baseball Operations for the Dodgers, which means there could be a different look to the team in 2015. Maybe Friedman would be more open minded to moving Puig in the right type of deal. Obviously, he would not trade Puig to anybody for "a couple of prospects." There is a way to suggest a trade of Matt Harvey without being down on Matt Harvey. I laugh at these wannabe paparazzi people that think they are "breaking a story" every time they notice that he has gone somewhere. To me, this is more about getting value for value. I seriously do not think the Mets could acquire Yasiel Puig for anything less than Matt Harvey. Maybe if you deal Zack Wheeler plus you can convince the Dodgers to think about it. If you are the Dodgers, you think about adding a guy like Harvey between Kershaw and Zack Greinke and it makes sense to give up a guy of Puig's talent. You center your outfield around Kemp and Peterson and have the best rotation in baseball, by a mile. And for the Mets, any fear of Puig being a problem in the clubhouse is evened off by the fact that Harvey still has to fully recover from his operation. What the two of them have in common is the fact that they can both be the best at their position in all of MLB. Harvey will start to get paid very well after this season. As Matt gets closer to free agency, the Mets will have to figure out whether they will be able to pay Harvey what he is looking to make as a star starting pitcher. If Sandy Alderson and his front office has any reservations over that, maybe a possibility of a trade may be something that makes sense in the long run. Few people wanted to see RA Dickey go, but you had to give up something to get something. In that case, the Mets have added someone who will likely be their starting catcher going forward and a top line starting pitching prospect who is likely to debut this season. From my prospective, I would deal anybody from the Mets to get Yasiel Puig, including Matt Harvey. Now that I am finished, let me have it. Both in the comment section and on my twitter mentions- @john_pielli.

Every MLB season, there are a series of players that have "breakout seasons." Among those who can be considered in 2014 are Mets 1B Lucas Duda, Yankees OF Brett Gardner, Nationals infielder Anthony Rendon, Cubs 1B Anthony Rizzo, Reds 3B Todd Frazier and Rockies CF Charlie Blackmon, among others. However, the player who has stood out the most has been Cleveland Indians OF Michael Brantley. His 2014 numbers, .324, 17, 76 with 31 2B and .902 OPS, put him up with any of the best players in the American League. While Brantley's place is still behind the likes of AL Stars Miguel Cabrera and Mike Trout, the question to beg is whether Brantley is in the same league with those two and some of the best in all of MLB. Looking at the 2013-2014 seasons of Los Angeles Dodgers OF Yasiel Puig (.925 OPS) and the 2014 season of Chicago White Sox 1B Jose Abreu (leading the AL in HR, 31- RBI- 86, SLG- .610 and OPS- .971), you can make a case that Cuba has produced two of the new MLB offensive stars. Guys like Andrew McCutchen and Paul Goldschmidt represent what would be my top six in top offensive players in all of MLB. Giancarlo Stanton of the Marlins, Robinson Cano of the Mariners, Troy Tulowitski of the Rockies and David Ortiz of the Red Sox would complete my list of the top ten position players in all of MLB right now. Obviously, this is subject to discussion. However, with the emergence of Brantley, where would he rank among the best in all of baseball? Coming over from Cuba leaves doubt over whether Puig and Abreu are for real because according to MLB, they were unknowns before coming to the USA. But I pose the question about Brantley, the second generation OF who was obtained by the Indians from the Milwaukee Brewers in the mid season trade that sent CC Sabathia to the Brewers, as to how much of a time frame is given before a player like him is considered one of the best in all of baseball. The numbers of this season ranks him as such, but is he not given enough clout because this is the first season he has performed as a top player. His 2013 season was very good, but his performance was on no way on the same level of his performance this season. Perhaps this is the reason he is not spoken about among the top players in the game. In 2013, Brantley hit .284, 10, 73 in 151 games, but finished with just 26 2Bs and a .728 OPS. After debuting in 2009 and playing 72 games in 2010 followed by 114 in 2011, 2014 is Brantley's 3rd full MLB season. Brantley's 2014 performance will raise the expectations of his 2015 and beyond. Fantasy owners will judge his 2014 numbers and if they believe in them, will use Brantley as a franchise type player. Based on his 2014 numbers, he has become the Indians franchise player, surpassing the likes of Carlos Santana, Jason Kipnis, Michael Bourn and Nick Swisher. The Indians are struggling to remain at .500, but are there because of what Brantley has done. He certainly has to back up his breakout season to get the reputation of a top overall MLB player, but he deserves credit for what he has done this season. Like I mentioned before, Michael's father Mickey (Michael Charles Sr.) Brantley played 4 seasons in the big leagues for the Seattle Mariners from 1986-1989, having a breakout season in 1987. He hit .302, 15, 54 with a .842 OPS in 94 games that season. In 1988, he played in a career high 149 games, hitting .263, 15, 56, but his OPS dropped to .642. After a disappointing start to the 1989 season, he was sent to the minors where he would finish his professional career playing in AAA for the Mariners, Brewers, Reds, Astros and Giants organizations. He would finish his professional career with the Yomiuri Giants of the Japanese Pacific League. Michael Jr. was one of four players traded by the Milwaukee Brewers to the Indians in the deal that brought Sabathia to the Brewers for the pennant chase. OF Matt LaPorta was the top prospect dealt by the Brewers, but he never panned out. The other two players in the deal are no longer in baseball.

I'm happy to be putting together my annual MLB team previews for the 3rd consecutive March. Each of the past seasons, I have learned from my experience that I have to make adjustments to my initial thoughts. My beef has been with all the experts just piggy backing off Baseball Prospectus to rank the teams to prospective finishes. Before the 2012 season, I tried to make a point that they are never completely correct. By doing so, I made some bolder predictions to try to stand out. I also noticed that the know it alls simply like to predict that the same teams that were successful last season will automatically be great the following year. While that is not necessarily true, there is no formula to pick that "sleeper team" for any given season. Doing this for the 3rd season, I've put together a better balance of logic and belief in the up and comer. Feel free to comment both on the outlook of each team I preview as well as where I rank them among the 30 in MLB. The Marlins decided to dump their team during and after the 2012 season and go full rebuild mode. The fact that the organization has done this multiple times since its inception in 1993 has upset the loyal fans and followers of the team as well as baseball purists who want to see a competitive balance. The future of this team does look bright, but 2014 looks like another tough season as the younger players continue to move up the ladder and come of age. The Marlins of 2013 went 62-100 under first year manager Mike Redmond. The team has some exciting young players such as 2013 NL Rookie of the Year Jose Fernandez and of course, Giancarlo Stanton. They traded OF Logan Morrison to the Mariners to get RHP Carter Capps and also lost let free agents Placido Polanco and Juan Pierre go. They traded OF Justin Ruggiano to the Cubs for Brian Bogusevic. They also added free agent catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, 1B Garrett Jones and 2B Rafael Furcal. The key for the Marlins will be the development of their young starting pitchers other than Fernandez, who should be a given. Henderson Alvarez, Jacob Turner, Tom Koehler and Alex Sanabia all have a lot of upside and can form a legit rotation. If so, they can win some games. Fernandez gives the team an ace. He burst on the scene last year, going 12-6, 2.19 in 28 starts, striking out 187 batters in 172 2/3 IP and deserved his All Star selection. I feel Turner has the most upside of the other starters and he should certainly build on his 3-8, 3.74 in 20 starts. If he does, he is the number two.. no questions asked. Henderson Alvarez (5-6, 3.59 in 17 starts) pitched well when he was healthy and threw a no hitter in 2013. Nathan Eovaldi (4-6, 3.39 in 18 starts) should be the number 4 starter is all works out as expected. The 5th spot should be interesting as Kevin Slowey (3-6, 4.11, 20 games, 14 starts), Alex Sanabia (3-7, 4.88 in 10 starts), Tom Koehler (5-10, 4.41, 29, 23) and Brad Hand (1-1, 3.05, 7, 2). The Marlins also have two very solid left handed pitching prospects in Justin Nicolino and Andrew Heaney who could make an impact, but are not going to be rushed. Perhaps by the end of the season, Splitting Fernandez, Turner and Alvarez up with Nicolino and Heaney will make things tough on the opposition. One of the more overrated closers in MLB was Steve Cishek of the Marlins. Getting a chance to close full time, he ran with it pitching to a 2.33 ERA and had 74 Ks in 69 2/3 IP. Getting the ball to him may not be that easy though LHP Mike Dunn (3-4, 2.66, 72 Ks in 67 2/3 IP) can pitch whole innings and is an asset to the pen. For the bullpen to be solid, they need new acquisitions Capps and Carlos Marmol to be good. Sanabia and Hand will be options there as well if they do not make the rotation. I do not see enough depth to see much success. The bigger problem is the fact that they will probably go to the bullpen sooner than some teams as there will be innings restrictions on guys like Fernandez and of course Nicolino and Heaney when they come up. The loss of Pierre is going to hurt a little bit, but there was no room. OF Marcell Ozuna (.265, 3, 32 in 70 games) and Christian Yelich (.288, 4, 16 in 62 games) will get their chance to start in CF and LF, respectively. A healthy Giancarlo Stanton (.249, 24, 62 in 119 games) will make a difference. Saltalamacchia (.273, 14, 65) brings his WS Championship ring with him and should be an upgrade over Rob Brantly of last season. Jeff Mathis will get some time and is likely to be the backup. The Marlins are projected to be starting just 1 infielder who was with them in 2013. Adieny Hechavarria (.227, 3, 42) will return as the team's SS. Casey McGehee and Jeff Baker come over as free agents to compete for the 3B job. Baker (.279, 11, 21) is interesting to look at as to whether he can be a big league regular. McGehee played for the Rakuten Golden Eagles in 2013 and hit .292, 28, 93 earning another chance to return to the big leagues. Rafael Furcal missed the entire 2013 season due to injury and will be the starting 2B replacing Donovan Solano. Solano anchors the bench which features Bogusevic, Mathis and Greg Dobbs. Garrett Jones comes over from Pittsburgh and will be playing 1B. The lineup can be better if the OF steps up and they get big years from McGehee and Jones. The pitching can be a little better than expected. If Fernandez competes for the NL Cy Young this year, it could be contagious to the rest of the team. I think the Marlins are honestly another year or two away but it does not mean they cannot improve. Vegas has them at a 69.5 O/U but I would be very surprised if they took the over. I see them going 60-102, two games worse than 2013. They had the worst record in the NL last season and teams likely repeat as worst in the league. Am I silly with this pick?

According to many people, the Miami Marlins had the worst off season in the history of MLB. It is certainly a stark contrast from last off season where many thought the Marlins bought themselves a pennant. One thing the Marlins have been known for is having a good fire sale, which started last season when they traded Hanley Ramirez, Omar Infante, Anibal Sanchez, Edwin Mujica, and Gaby Sanchez. It continued into this off season when they moved Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle, Heath Bell, Josh Johnson, John Buck and Emilio Bonifacio. Just that alone is enough to give the Marlins one of the worst forecasts of this preseason. The Marlins will start out by leaving a lot to be desired offensively. If I wanted to compare them to, lets say the Astros, I think the Astros lineup is deeper. However, the Astros do not have any single player as good right now as Giancarlo Stanton or Logan Morrison. The Marlins are counting on a couple Phillies castoffs, Juan Pierre and Placido Polanco to come in and provide leadership. Pierre, who is the active leader in stolen bases with 591, is coming off a solid season where he hit .307 for Philadelphia. However, he did in a lessened role, playing 130 games last year where he had been a 158-160 game player each season. I would expect to see Pierre play closer to 160 than 130 this season. Justin Ruggiano was a bright spot and gets the CF job, with newcomers Rob Brantly (from Detroit in the Sanchez/Infante trade) and Adeiny Hechavarria (from Toronto in the Reyes/ Johnson trade) filling up the lineup. Donovan Solano will be the second baseman. I'd order it like this: Pierre LF, Polanco 3B, Stanton RF, Morrison 1B, Ruggiano CF, Brantly C, Hechavarria SS, Solano 2B. The bench is not much to brag about, but Greg Dobbs is a very good role player. Backup catcher Jeff Mathis is solid for that role and former NL Rookie of the Year Chris Coghlan is still around. Brian Petersen and Gorkys Hernandez will fill in as extra OFs. In my opinion, the starting pitching of this team may be better than people think. Ricky Nolasco (if he is not traded) will be the opening day starter. They have traded for the rest of their rotation, all of whom are young. Jacob Turner (from Detroit), Henderson Alvarez (Toronto), Nathan Eovaldi (from LA) and Wade LeBlanc (from San Diego) round out the rotation. All of whom have gotten their feet wet, but may have to work out some growing pains. They have a decent closer in Steve Cishek, with Ryan Webb and Mike Dunn expected to be the primary set up men. New manager Mike Redmond is going to have it difficult in this first season. The problem I have is most of the players the Marlins traded for are expected to be on the opening day roster. That does not improve the farm system. Zack Cox is worth watching this season. I expect him to become the team's 3B of the future. In my opinion, I think Christian Yelich has a very good chance of making the team out of spring training. Jake Marisnick, the OF prospect obtained in the deal with Toronto, has a chance to be the real deal. Those two, as well as LHP Justin Nicolino (also obtained in the Toronto trade), should be the players to keep an eyes on as Miami builds for the future. I would expect to see Marisnick unseat Ruggiano as the team's starting CF at some point this season. However, I expect to see the Marlins lose a lot of games this season. I think Las Vegas was generous to them putting their over/under at 64 1/2. They should win much less than that; I see them finishing 55-107, last place in the NL and NL East.

There are reports that teams are stepping up in their chase for Arizona Diamondbacks RF Justin Upton. Though I may be proven wrong, I still think Upton will end up remaining with Arizona because of the high price tag General Manager Kevin Towers has on him. Based on what the Seattle Mariners offered, it is difficult to see either Atlanta, Tampa Bay, Texas or Baltimore parting with as much talent to get Upton. However, it seems like Jason Kubel could be moved sooner rather than later and should be targeted by the before mentioned teams. Kubel is on the second year of a two year, $16 million contract with the Diamondbacks before the 2012 season. He may be without a place to play with the Diamondbacks signing of Cody Ross and expected use of Adam Eaton in centerfield next season. Throw in Upton and Gerardo Parra and clearly Kubel could be the odd man out. Though this is pretty common knowledge, Kubel did hit 30 HR last season and should be drawing more interest than is being reported. Kubel provides a middle of the order bat and as expected, hits RHP much better than LHP. In addition to the likely candidates, here is a list of possibilities for Kubel to be moved to, as in my opinion, he is more likely to be traded than Upton. 5. Miami Marlins: The Marlins sound like a crazy spot, but remember, the Marlins still have some players who they may want to move. Perhaps a straight up trade for Ricky Nolasco could work, with the dollars possibly evened out. The Marlins are conscious of the fact they could use a middle of the order bat to protect Giancarlo Stanton, and they have some young pitchers who could be slid into the rotation. 4. New York Mets: No secret the Mets fall short of having a major league outfield right now. It doesn't matter if Kubel bats left handed, his bat would make the Mets better. The Mets should have a little interest, being his price tag would be much less than that for Upton. 3. San Diego Padres: The Padres took a big step towards contention last season, with a strong finish. I thought they would be more active in trying to move on that momentum. Kubel would be a solid addition for the Padres, who have little in their order to protect 3B Chase Headley. Kubel would be perfect batting 5th behind Headley. However, there is concerns his HR numbers may go down playing his home games in Petco Park. 2. Chicago Cubs: The Cubs could be a fit and it is possible he could surpass his HR total of last year playing his home games in Wrigley Field. Based on comments from GM Theo Epstein and manager Dale Sveum, the Cubs seem pretty serious about considering themselves a contender for 2013. The last step will be doing something to back it up. This makes Kubel a possibility. 1. Milwaukee Brewers: They have a spot in the outfield with Corey Hart moving to 1B. With Hart possibly having surgery and missing a significant part of the 2013 season, the need is a little more there for them to add a middle of the order bat. If he can hit 30 HRs for the Brewers, it will do wonders replacing some of the power lost when Prince Fielder left to play for Detroit.

On part three of my four part series, which I will conclude today, I want to compare the outlook of the New York Mets and Miami Marlins. Like the prior comparisons I have made, a lot of questions exist in regards to the direction each team is going. With the Marlins, you never know where the organization is going. Last offseason was set up for the team to spend. The new ballpark was expected to generate revenue that would substantiate the contracts given to Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle and Heath Bell and possibly give them flexibility to add another player or two as the season went on. The team got off to a bad start and the attendence never raised to the level of expectation, which led to the fire sale which dropped the payroll. The question is, has the firesale ended? Or will it continue into the offseason? There were talks the Marlins were looking to trade Josh Johnson, Buehrle, Bell and John Buck but just could not find any takers. Many think the firesale will last into the offseason. If it does, the immediate future will not look too bright. Any trade the Marlins make would expected to move salary and/ or prospects to Miami. Now a days, it is difficult to relieve salary in a deal and get good prospects in return. The Boston/ LA deal is not the norm. If they do not add valuable prospects, the longterm future may not look as great either, despite having Reyes and Giancarlo Stanton. I guess the question is can the Marlins improve next season with its current team? Without trading any of the before mentioned. Zack Cox was brought in from St Louis in the Edwin Mujica trade to play 3B next season. Donovan Solano and Justin Ruggiano are expected to be regulars next year. If their starting pitching staff stays in tact, they are not that bad. To me, its going to depend on how the Marlins shake up the team after a disappointing season. Could Ozzie Guillen or Larry Beinfest be fired after this season? Based on owner Jeffrey Loria's comments it may be a possibility. If either happens, it leaves a ton of options of how the team will look. As far as the Mets, Sandy Alderson continues to try to say the right things. He says he knows what he needs to improve on for the team. The question is, does he plan to make the team better next season? The Mets clearly need an outfield and a catcher, not to mention a new bullpen. How much can he change with no money? It doesn't leave many excited. Of course trades could improve certain areas, but that is also something Alderson has done very little of since joining the Mets. (unless it is a salary dump) The Mets starting pitching looks encouraging, but it will struggle without a more potent offense. Many see the troubles of this team. Its obvious these areas need to be improved. The question is, will they? The Mets, under the leadership of Alderson, have had two of the most disinterested offseasons in all of baseball. If they have another one, they will be among the worst teams in the NL. Without anything done to help the OF, C and RP (though the long term future may look better), the team will take a step back next season, in spite of how bad things have gone in the second half this year. In conclusion, I think the Marlins have a better outlook for next season, but that is assuming they keep whats left of their core in tact. If the Marlins break their team down even more, they could be worse than the Mets. The Mets, assuming the plan is to run out whatever players they have left and add nothing, look bad for next season and should finish last place. It could all change if a plan comes into place to upgrade their outfield, catcher and bullpen. Depending on how much they upgrade will determine how much they can improve. Their starting pitching will keep them in a lot of games. But it will be a matter of time before their confidence will be shot with a team that cannot score. So, depending on how much the Mets add or the Marlins trade away will narrow the gap that the Marlins have over the Mets going into next season.

When the Boston Red Sox hired Bobby Valentine to manage the team for the 2012 season, it was assumed he would be around at least through next season. Now it seems that Valentine will not return for 2013. The Red Sox will likely still have to pay Valentine even if he is not the team's manager next season. The Miami Marlins committed themselves for the next four years hiring Ozzie Guillen as skipper. As the Marlins sit in last place in the NL East after such high expectations, could Guillen possibly be let go after the first year of his contract?

It almost seems like a stupid question. Guillen was part of the "new" Miami Marlins. The team that signed Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle and Heath Bell with hopes to fill their new ballpark was expecting to turn the corner. A quality product was sold to their fanbase; expectations were that if the team added to a young core of Giancarlo Stanton, Hanley Ramirez and Josh Johnson, fans would support a winning team. The winning never happened though, and neither did the fans support. Not surprisingly, patience grew thin in the front office which led to a firesale. Ramirez was traded, along with Omar Infante, Anibal Sanchez, Randy Choate, Edwin Mujica and Gaby Sanchez. The Marlins are obviously looking towards 2013. But how much of the teams struggles are attributed to Guillen's leadership? Owner Jeffrey Loria was asked about Guillens future with the club. His response was along the lines of not wanting to stir a controversy by suggesting his feelings. He further added that all managers have strengths and weaknesses and his status would be addressed at a later time.“I just don’t want to get drawn into that until the end of the season,” Loria said. “There’s good and bad with every situation.” To me, that means it could go either way. Perhaps even 50/ 50. Definitely not a scenario that could have been envisioned at the beginning of the season. Similar to Valentine, it seemed Guillen had a free pass for this season and would be around for close to the duration of his contract. Not that he won't, but his return was not in question until Loria made his remarks. Maybe it's a lot about nothing. Maybe his way of answering the question was intended to difuse questions about Guillen's job security. But, if that was the case, then why did Loria not give him an endorsement? The vote of confidence, so to say. His lack of interest in talking about Guillen's job status opened the door to the possibility that Ozzie may not be back in 2013. Something that did not exist until Loria made his statements.